CASA Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Larry and Diane Jortner

“The children matter to us.”

Being part of the CASA program means meeting great people from all occupations, callings, and walks of life. Many CASA’s come to us individually, but here in Porter County, we are lucky to have some married couples as part of our volunteer network. One of those couples is Larry and Diane Jortner.

Larry and Diane have been with CASA for a year; they were both sworn in during June of 2021 and took on cases soon after. Larry is an AVP of claims with CNA Surety. Diane publishes local family magazines in both Valparaiso and St. John. The Jortners first heard about CASA through Diane’s publishing work. After that, they attended the CASAblanca Gala, a celebration of 30 years of the CASA program in Porter County. While there, they met with and spoke to CASA volunteers about their experiences with both the program and the children they support. After that, Diane and Larry decided to bring their volunteer spirits to CASA.

Both of the Jortners have one main goal on their minds, and that is to do their best for the children with whom they work. Diane says, “I love getting to know ‘my’ child and feeling that I have helped to keep her safe.” Forging a bond with each child is important in each case in order to build empathy and trust. Larry says “being able to contribute to the welfare of children” is his favorite thing about being a CASA volunteer.

The goal of a CASA is to have the best interests of the child in mind, and Larry and Diane agree that what keeps them involved in the program is the children.

We are grateful for what you do, Larry and Diane!

In honor of Rose Butler who was a CASA volunteer and who further supported the mission of CASA as a staff member supervising and mentoring many of our volunteers, we are featuring one CASA volunteer each month who is making a difference in the lives of children in Porter County.